OpenWhistle is open-source software for organisations that need an internal whistleblowing channel. It is designed for companies and public bodies covered by EU Directive 2019/1937 and Germany’s HinSchG, including companies from 50 employees and financial firms. The organisation runs it on its own server with Docker Compose or a Helm chart; OpenWhistle does not offer hosted service. It is free under the GNU General Public License v3.0, with no paid tier or subscription, though the organisation provides its own server. Reporters can submit information without an account or email address and use a case number and UUID4 PIN to return to the status page, read replies and send messages. Confidential mode encrypts names and contact details, which case handlers see only after an audited reason. Admin sign-in supports passwords, LDAP or OIDC and always requires TOTP. The maker says it does not store IP addresses at any layer and keeps outbound requests off unless enabled. Closed reports are deleted after 1,095 days by default. The interface supports English, German, French and Brazilian Portuguese; optional attachment scanning uses ClamAV.
Who it is for
It suits companies and public bodies that need an internal reporting channel for EU Directive 2019/1937 or HinSchG coverage. Organisations must be prepared to host and maintain it on their own server.
What is good
- Free, open-source software with no subscription
- Reporters need no account or email address
- Encrypted confidential mode with audited disclosure
- Supports LDAP and OIDC admin sign-in
- Available in four listed languages
What to know first
- No hosted service; organisations provide a server
- No paid support tier is offered
- Closed reports delete after 1,095 days by default
Verdict
OpenWhistle provides a self-hosted reporting channel with anonymous submission, follow-up messaging and confidential mode. Its own-server deployment and community-only support are important considerations.
OpenWhistle plans and pricing
All plansCompared on whistleblower hotline software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Anonymous reporting
- Yes
- Workflow automation
- Yes
- Single sign-on
- Yes
